Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
APRIL
“I don’t trust her.” Moving away from Sebastian, I go to close the door.
What I don’t say out loud is that I don’t trust any of them, really. Lying and treachery is a trait of them all. Apparently living forever is not enough, so they go at each other’s throats like snakes.
“Hmm...” Humming under his breath, Sebastian walks up to the bar in the corner, pouring that stupid drink he keeps sipping even when he says he can’t taste it.
Silly me, I actually try it to see if he is telling the truth. It burns going down, leaving me sputtering and hacking my lungs out while tears trickle down my face. That’ll teach me to listen to him and his sad stories.
“I think they sent her just to mess with my head.” I’m not going to drop the subject, not even if he hums until next Sunday.
“I don’t see what she has to gain by coming here to lie to us.”
Watching me over the rim of the glass, he moves to place his free hand in the pocket of his pants.
He looks like a shipwreck victim with his shirt hanging in strips over his broad shoulders and chest, and one leg of his pants ripped at the side.
Fire burns in my face from the embarrassment of how depraved I acted before Eshe put a stop to my insanity.
A knowing glint appears in Sebastian’s gaze.
“I don’t know what any of you have to gain with your manipulations and lies, yet here we are, Sire.” Sneering that last word, I want to pat myself on the back when a muscle jumps in his jaw.
He doesn’t take the bait.
“She had a point about your powers being blocked.” I blink at him stupidly, and it takes me a moment to get on track with the switch of the subject.
“The only thing being blocked is my mind after sunset.” Clenching my hands, I glare at him. “And I have every intention of figuring out how to fix that.”
“My blood should’ve been enough for a full transformation without a problem.” He is looking at me without seeing me, his gaze going unfocused while the gears turn in that head of his. “I must’ve missed something in my research, some lost scroll or text…”
“Hello!” Waving a hand to get his attention, I do my best not to walk up to him and slap his handsome face. “Mole. Here to kill me, remember?”
“I can barely keep up with you, April.” Dismissing my worry, he actually rolls his eyes at me. “I should feel sorry for whoever the fool is that will try to harm you in any way.”
“I feel so safe when you put it like that, asshole.” Matching his narrowed look, I let that simmering anger come to the surface.
“So, what you’re saying is, if what Eshe said was true, I should just let whoever it is attack me and hope for the best?
Why did you send Marcus and Andrei to look then?
You keeping them busy in case they are bored, or what? ”
“We were very closed off on who we allowed in our inner circle before you were found. Everyone was tested and proven loyal of ours. The humans are bound by blood and can’t go against our wishes even if they try.
” Acting put out for having to explain himself, he scowls down his nose at me.
“After your transformation, they started flocking here when the word spread of what you did in the Council Towers. Again, only immortals and humans joined our forces, while the Council fled like cowards. I’m not worried about any of them being able to hurt you. ”
I stay quiet, my mind working on trying to read through what he didn’t say in his little speech.
If I learned one thing about Sebastian, that is that he twists the words, speaking a lot but saying nothing that he doesn’t want you to know.
Riddles. It’s all games and wordplay with him, keeping me on my toes.
“Okay, so vampires and humans can’t hurt me.
” As ridiculous as it is, I feel giddy knowing that little fact.
“So, what? You think they’ll use animals?
” The idea of monster animals chasing me through the hotel with fangs as long as a mammoth’s and the speed and strength of a dinosaur makes me want to puke.
“Oh, my God! You think they got to mutt? Where is he? I need to see him now!”
“Calm down…”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Screeching at him, I want to kill something. “Where is my dog?”
“The creature is in the building and it’s safe. Marcus is looking after it until we figure out how to get you under control.”
“The only time I’m not in control is when you are around. Maybe we should remove you and I’ll be fine.”
The asshole laughs.
My fingers twitch with an urge to claw his pretty face out.
The only reason I stay rooted to the spot is that I can still feel the taste of him in my mouth and the burn of his touch on my skin.
By feeding me his blood before I stupidly ran to save him, he made sure that he is embedded in me so deep that only death will keep me from it. Maybe not even that.
“Ah, bella.” His deep voice sends shivers down my spine.
“But you wouldn’t have it any other way, now would you.
” Cocking his head to the side, his eyes crinkle at the corners.
The easygoing attitude can’t hide the hunger burning in his gaze, and my heart skips a beat.
“It didn’t seem to bother you so much before we were so rudely interrupted. ”
“It was a moment of weakness and insanity. Acting on instinct instead of using my brain.” I can be the bigger person and not take the bait as well. “It will never happen again. You can be sure of that.”
And that is true. It was pure instinct because that is how I function now that they turned me into a monster.
All I want is blood, sex, and violence. Not necessarily in that order and not necessarily separate from each other.
I’ve succumbed to the thirst for blood and violence.
I’ve avoided the hunger for sex part so far, thankfully.
I hate myself that it bothers me to see the hurt look on his face at my words.
He made sure you died, April. Don’t be stupid to fall for his tricks again.
Berating myself internally, I hold his gaze.
There is so much longing in his look that he is not trying to hide right now, tears prickle my eyes, and his face turns blurry for a second.
“I only hope you will forgive me for what I have done one day, my redemption.”
“You can hope I will forgive you, but it will never happen. And stop calling me your redemption. I’m your nothing, you hear me?
Nothing.” Fighting the emotions swirling inside me, I swallow the lump the size of a golf ball stuck in my throat.
“If it’s not vampires, humans, or animals, then Eshe was full of shit, just as I thought. ”
“Well.” Sebastian struggles to keep up with the change of subject, but finally he blows a breath and gently sets the glass on the bar. “I’m only worried about magic…”
I can’t help it. I burst out laughing, and he trails off watching me like he has never seen me before in his life.
I mean, come on. Monster animals running around the world was a crazy enough thought, but magic?
What’s next? Dragons, elves, and dwarves will start coming for a cup of tea?
The more I think about it, the harder I laugh.
“You do remember me telling you that when they killed you millennia ago, they used a mage to curse your blood, do you not?” Drawling, Sebastian presses his lips in a thin line.
A few more giggles and barks of laughter escape me before I finally realize how serious he is. “You gotta be joking! They sent witches to kill me? Like, what the fuck! Sucking my blood and turning me into this crazy thing was not enough?”
“I’m not sure that is the case, but I will be looking into it.” Satisfied that I finally understand the gravity of the situation, he turns to leave the apartment. “Until we are sure what we are dealing with, stay here.”
The cracked door closes behind him with a soft click.
I gape at it for a long time after he is gone, the words magic, witches, and mages spinning through my head.
And in his right mind, Sebastian told me to stay here?
In an apartment where there are not many places to hide or fight if someone tries to kill me.
Like hell I will wait here to be killed.
I’m out of the hotel before the front door of the penthouse is done closing behind me.